A few Years Later
by shadowstories21
Summary: Jason centered post New 52 fic Jason X Duela Dent Roy X Kori Other ships Not really romance centered Rating may be bumped up later in future chapters
Jason was standing on the balcony, leaning over the railing as the sun began to rise over the skyline. A lit cigarette in his grasp as he raised it to his lips, inhaling the toxin before releasing it through his nostrils. Inside laid Duela Dent, his girlfriend of a year now. He should be happy, he should feel like he's finally in a good spot for life, instead as Jason looks out, all he can feel is dissatisfaction. Putting the cigarette out as he hears tossing in the sheets he walks back into the shared bedroom closing the door. Duela is letting out a low yawn asking him how longs he been up, Jason doesn't feel like talking, so he simply shrugs. This earns him a sigh from an annoyed girlfriend, Duela sitting up in the bed, the covers clutching her bare figure a frown settled on her lips, "I just wish you'd talk to me like a human being. You know I understand, why can't you open up?"

Another fight, Jason looked at her with sadness pooling in his eyes and stepped into the bathroom to switch on the shower head, the water hitting the base with an echo. Running a hand through black and white locks the next thing he felt was a stinging pain in his cheek, looking down at the cause. Duela was fuming in anger, "This is why I want to leave Jason! What's the point if neither of us are getting better?" Jason didn't know what to say or do, instead his arms wrapped around her smaller frame, fingers grasping bony hips. "I'm sorry." It's choked and his voice is hoarse. Duela slips out of his hold and into the shower, "So am I."

Jason was quick to step in behind her, arms attempting to wrap around her figure before the red head shook her head. She wasn't in the mood to be held, especially not by him. Jason instead sighed as he leaned back against the ceramic backing of the shower. He could feel the water pooling at their feet, his eyes closed as he simply waited his turn.

Their relationship wasn't the easiest of things, and honestly hadn't had a label until recently. Duela dated Roy first, and that was actually going quite well, until Roy wasn't around and was spending more time with Kori than Duela, and from there they broke up. Duela and Jason still lived with one another and two grown people tended to have needs and desires, one thing lead to another and it was casual sex between them. Soon enough the two started to care more than they had previously, and they acted like a couple. Neither of them put a name to it, refusing to do so as they were both still shattered, however after a dinner out with Roy and Kori, they decided to finally accept the title of 'boyfriend and girlfriend'.

It seemed ever since they put a title to it, things were failing. Being friends with benefits was easy, there was no emotions attached, you could still joke around and care, but not enough that it hurt. Now, well now Jason couldn't remember when he had seen Duela actually smile. Of course, things were like that before, but the presence of the other was at least comforting, now Jason felt like he was just as bad as anyone else when it came to their relationship. Opening his eyes as he felt her step out, shivering as he didn't do the laundry like he was supposed to. A frown now tugged on his lips as he stepped forward into the hot water.

He heard the echo of footsteps, and he wouldn't be surprised to find her in one of his hoodies when he came out. For now, he focused on cleansing himself. The bar of soap ran across his figure as the water washed it off, and into the drain. After a good lather of shampoo, he was done, but lingered in the shower. His head resting against the ceramic front. Soon enough the man was hitting his head against the tile repeatedly, trying to engrain it in him that he needed to start trying.

His hand slid between his figure and the wall, turning off the shower. Stepping out, he reached for a discarded hand towel to pat dry himself. Nudity was nothing new between them, the two had seen each other naked before sex was even a thought, it came in their line of work from time to time, and frankly it lost meaning. He walked to the carpet of their shared room and reached for a pair of boxers, sliding them up his legs and pulling a shirt over his figure he walked to the kitchen.

She was wearing one of his shirts, it draped over her figure, those long red locks flowed down her shoulders as she cooked. A small smile twitched at his lips, however he couldn't help but think of another red haired woman that stole away his thoughts from time to time. Growing up, Jason Todd was dead set on being Barbra Gordon's boyfriend, he wanted it even more when he saw Dick kissing her in a back alley one night.

However, after his death the thoughts had slipped past his mind, and all he knew was suffering and agony. Sure, he had run across her from time to time, and sure his heart rate picked up and his palms grew a little sweaty, so maybe he wasn't as over her as he thought.

Yet, the sound of bacon popping in a pan, brought him back to reality, and the red headed woman that he was sleeping with. Duela, the woman was sweeter than anyone would ever think, herself included. Jason adored the woman, and wanted her happy. He always had, he wanted her happy as a friend, as a co worker, and now as a lover. He just wasn't doing so well in that subject. Jason and Duela spoke about dating a few years prior when Rent-A-Bat was just starting, and Jason was adamant about waiting a few years for them to mature and sort things out.

Flash forward five years, and Jason felt none the wiser, nor the more fixed, but here he was regardless. He walked over to the woman cooking, his arms wrapping around her figure, even as her elbows tried to jab him. His mouth fell to press a kiss to the exposed collarbone. His voice dropping to a whisper, "I'm sorry Duela. We both know that we got our problems, I guess I just need to get better at talking about them."

He could feel Duela relax her figure, her hand pausing after she flipped the bacon, putting whatever utensil she was using down. Her figure turned in his hold, and lifted his chin up, so she could squeak under his head and press her own to his chest. Her small hands gripped against his shirt, pulling him in close. His arms wrapped around her, as his lips pressed a soft kiss against her scalp. Rubbing the small of her back, she began to whisper, "Jason Todd, do you have any idea how much this hurts? To be in this apartment where I feel I'm blocked? I don't know where I'm going, I don't think I've found myself, but we keep repeating the same thing, over and over again. It's like we're not moving, we're stuck. The only thing that has changes is our titles to one another, and even then, I don't think we're a good couple." She looked up to him, a frown tugging at those beautiful lips of hers.

"I think I'm going to pack my things and go back to the underground."

Those words cut Jason like a knife across the chest, he looked at her, and panic suddenly struck. Not because he was worried she'd get hurt, not even the fact she wanted to leave, but because she was the last thing he had. Roy and Kori were living in some tropical paradise, going on missions from time to time, but they found love and were holding tight onto it. He looked across the 'Batfamily' and all he saw was happiness, all he could see were people moving on in their life after everything happened.

The only person stuck was Jason, and he was causing the woman he cared for to be in the same position.

She was smart, and she could tell he was beginning to panic, the way his eyes widened, and the way his body seized up. Her lips raised to kiss against his chin, hands wrapping around his neck, to bring him down to her height. Duela's crimson lips fell over Jason's pink ones, it was slow and subtle. She was trying to comfort him, tell him that things would be okay. Pulling back, she exhaled a small breath before a laugh left her lips, a smile bursting onto her face. "Listen, you know you have me, right? You know who I am, you know I'm here."

Jason calmed down a bit, all things considered it would probably be for the best to let go and relax. His hold of her loosened as she turned back around to continue cooking. The man usually cooked for them, as he was just more fond of it, he remembered learning how to from Alfred after a day at school, and before patrol and training. Yet, Duela cooking was a nice little surprise.

Jason turned to press his lips back to her skin, this time in the form of kissing her cheek. A laugh spilling from his own lips as he tried to make himself relax, "You're right Duela. That might help us a lot, I'd be willing to do anything to see some progress."

Even if that meant the one piece of stability in his life would be leaving him for an undisclosed amount of time. The next thing he sniffed was burning fat, and then he heard the 'whoosh' of a fire. Eyes snapped open and forward as he moved her back, a sigh leaving his lips as he knew there was a reason he cooked. Turning the stove off, he grabbed the fire extinguisher from underneath the cabinet and was quick to put the fire out. Looking at Duela, waiting for some sort of an apology.

Instead, all he got was her laughing like a hyena. He didn't know why he expected different, probably because at the end of the day he wasn't suppose to be with her, just like at the end of the day, she wasn't supposed to be with him.

Jason walked over to the couch, he wasn't too hungry anymore, and Duela went away to pack. He grabbed his phone off the charger, flipping it on to read any missed calls, or missed texts. He got something from Roy about activity in a costal chain, and that Jason should check it out. Probably a ploy to go visit him and Kori, he wouldn't mind doing that.

He looked up to see Duela wearing her usual outfit, having a bag and her staff. The woman looked nervous, almost scared, and he couldn't place why, that was until she opened her mouth.

"I packed everything Jay, I don't want to come back. You know how I feel, you know that I would bend over backwards for you and Roy, but I can't do this anymore."

With that she rushed out the door, he watched as the wood slammed shut, probably not intentional, but still the noise echoed in his ears. His head hit the back of the sofa cushion, his eyes closed as he fumbled for his lighter.

Normally Jason didn't smoke in the apartment, but this morning called for something special. Sticking the filter in his lips, he lit the end, and took a long inhale, a fume of smoke leaving his nostrils as he debated on texting Roy back. A sigh passed through, as he sat forward, the phone discarded onto the couch, as he kept the cigarette in between his lips, puffing smoke out in short bursts as his hands ran through the black and white locks, trying to sort through everything that just happened. His mind was a fractures mess to begin with, and this, well he no longer had a source to go to, he no longer had someone to associate himself with on a constant basis. Jason Todd was fully alone, just like he was as a child, and just as he was in death.

The cigarette was smoked till he was burning the filter, stubbing it out in a glass jar, he kicked his feet back and grabbed his phone, idly pulling up Roy's contact time and time again.

A sigh left his lips as he lurched forward,

[SMS] Fine Fucker, I'll come.

[SMS] Stock up on Marlboro Reds and Crown Royal.

Jason got up from the couch and walked to his bedroom, he found the discarded pile of clothing from Duela and let out another sigh. This morning kept getting better and better, throwing them into a bin near the edge of the bed, he pulled out the green army bag he always used for missions. Beginning to stuff it with everything he needed it, he would grab his wallet and keys and sling it over his chest, picking the phone up once more to make a call to schedule the plane.

Grabbing his charger on his way out, he locked the doors. Pausing as he looked down the hall, thinking that maybe Duela changed her mind, but he knew that was far fetched. Jason needed to get over her, he needed to be his own man, his own way of thinking.

Walking to the bottom of the stairs, he went to the back alley where his bike was. Putting on the bandanna around his lips, he slid the smoked out helmet on, and hopped onto the bike. Kicking the stand out, he revved the engine to life. Pulling out of the alley and hoping onto the main drag he headed off towards the airport.

Arriving some time later, Jason got off the bike, stashing it in one of the airplane bays. Walking to the prop jet, he handed the pilot a bundle fo money before taking a seat. Pulling his phone out he pulled up Roy's contact once more.

[SMS] I'm on the plane now, it'll take about six hours.

[SMS] You better be there to pick me up shit-head.

Jason closed his eyes and smirked at that, this was exactly what the doctor ordered.


End file.
